New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-02-23
LEGISLATION FOR CATTLE.
PROFESSOR JAMES LAW ON LUNG PLAGUE

CONGRESS AND THE DOCTORS TAKEN TO TASK
TEST PROPOSED.
To the Edttor Of The Tribune.
SIR The lower house of Congress has recently bee
the scene OF a spectacle which might well be he'll
unique In this enlightened nineteenth century an
which demands to be held up before the people
America in broader light than is furnished BY tn
limited circulation OF The Congressional Record
bill was being considered which had for Its objee
the entire extinction of the lung plague Of CATTLE con
tagipus disease winch was imported from Europe II
1s4s which has in the eight cost u.s. OF
exports to England alene yearly loss of over
&2,0OO,OOO and one which, in the last three years
since its extension into tbs Mississippi Valley has
cost In addition several millions per annum. furner
extension TO the unfencd stock raising Territories
nov imminent at the coat OF a further yearly loss ol
tens OF millions During forty years ending
in 1875. Great Britain lost $500, 600 600 from TINS
plague ON an average stock OF 100000 head OF
cattle. We. therefore, should loss at least
$1,000 900 600 in the same length Of time upon our
100000 cattle In case this plague were socii-
matted ut the OF cattle trade, aud sent In
steady streams through all its divergent oranones
The bill under debate proposed to appropriate
$3.50 to stamp out this plague and restore ne 10
the vantage ground we occupied before its importa-
ton in 1s4s.
1t might we'll have been expected that q body of
representatives tad by tho people tor attending 70
this matter would have gS some attention to tho
reports presented 70 Congress by previous Comms-
aiOus aud Departments Of their own creation before
they ventured to nsugurate new legislation on the
beet These they had at hand In tho reports oil the
Department OF Agriculture and In those OF tho
Treasury Cattle Comm@sion covering all that Is re-
quiste they should know Of the history OF lung plague
at HON. and abroad of is nature and OF the success
and insuccess OF diferen nations In dealing with
aud the reasons tor the difference But this wonln
appear to be far much trouble for our delegates
paid by to do Legislative work. so they heard
sober advocacy OF the MEASURE and some bitter
denunciation, and proceeded to vote by ~ to 20
aUa ifa WA NJ M
Spri ger ~ Illinois, assured them that tho present ont
break in Chicago han already in one year cost his
State loss OF $lO.oO9OO0 They llstenod rather
to Drs Swinburne OF York, and Galinger, OF
New-Hampshire, whose talk IN the House seemed 70
manifest lnorance of the first principles OF medi
cine. The two Congressional doctors agreed that "
there wa Inflammation of tho lungs and pleaurn in
this plague It could possibly be contagious They
seem never to have heard OF just snch niammations
in measles, tuberculosis, sctinomycoss, syphilis and
other VIGOROUSLY CONTAGIOUS diseases. II would be
cruel to expect them to know aught OF the pneu
mococcus tho germ OF croapous pneumonia In man,
m ch of the correspond ne organism of the same
disesse in the horse The micrococcns OF cattle lung
plague discovered in 1852, could not OF course be
known TO such men.
lively asserted that smallpox, lung plague ard certain
other diseases were caused solely by Nth and the
privation ncit lent TO travel and would disappear
under proper hygiene. The verest tyro in medicine
knows that smallpox in not caused by hth but only
by couta that II spared Europe in her carly savage
and filthy period. but that from the sixth century.
~
scourge of the continent in spite of improving civZa-
aud cleaulncss also that spared AuStralia and
Tasmania in spite OF all the filth OF the black fellow
OF the huts at the diggngs ana ranches, and OF the
storage OF the emigrant vessels.
The contagious nature of lung plague has been
demonstrated in the natural iniecuon OF many millions
Of animals In all time md since 1882 In the artificial
infection OF many millions in many parts Of the
word o measure OF protection against the heavy
mortality. The two political doctors talked dlsparag
ngy of veterinarians and ecured the passage of 7nc
clause nv which three solid doctors" were to be ap
pointed TO ascertain IL lung plague really ersted and
II did whe her 1t was contiguous IL viii doubtless
be nes 10 them 70 know that veterinarians. in ad-
vance of phy sic ana who drbarred the sacred
OF human lite have long tested the contsrions
diseases OF animals by direct experiment u they
knew aught oil recent medical progress they would
have found that ANAL amount OF such progress has
been due to the Assiduous lsbors of vetern ,rans.
need only name the great achievements OF Chsuvean
Todfstnt Gcriach, Bollnger, Aroing, St Cyr
Hooard Lydtn, Schul aud host Of others well
known 10 real medical men. Even in Am~ricp v~ter-
MARIAN, known and respected Ne scientific workers
in this field. which seems to he such closed hook 10
Drs. Swinourne ani Gal niger. Ia the 'lI World we
zee Henri Bouley vet"r ma, ian, the honored prcsi-
lent OF the Academic des Sciences. and even In
ucrica we lind veterinarians tho connitters Of
he American Public Health Annexation. and valued
contributors to medical literature
IL thew would betake themselves to reading they
light diacovcr that veterinary n-dicine had very
extended a4,d scientific literature, that veterinary
md thorough course than the medical schools OF
America. and that aIealy eancated veterinarian Is
furnished in way that few o. our medical schools
wen aim II j. enough to say that students mstrica
ating with degrees OF bachelor "cs letres are re-
,uired TO aiterward follow a curriculum extending
yer tour yesis-wnter and sumner-beiore they are
eligible for degree.
Il onr doctors and their felowvo had done their
Iuty In ookn, into the Renort OF the Treasury Cattle
1882, into the Reports oi tho Depart,
uent OF Agriculture those OF the Bureau of Animal
Industry not 10 lax their minds by going outside the
documents Congress had itself provided for, they
would have found:
l. Thai lnug ,lague had not been found In our East
I'm tockyar1s, no matter how filthy, among the
teer-, that had just travelled 900 miles and up
ward
2 That it was not n in the ireshy arrived cows
rom the same State even in those IRON greater
3 That it appeared among the latter month or
more after their arrisa-ait"r AL ELECTS oil their
ourney bad passed
A. That II prevailed most extensively TOW ard the end
# summer after tho had spent mont on the UNI
enccd suburban pastures, where herd mingled with
,crd and injected another. Winter sccluson in tho
illhy co sheds bad ne such elect.
g. That in the distDery siabes and cowshcds OF the
Vest we found fully much filth and fully "a little
r as in the worst places in the East hut ia 1881 VIC
'opld find trace OF lung plague. The first known
Asses west or the Alleghenes we're the Jersey
attic stnt in 1888 from Maryland to Ohio and since
hen The disease appears TO have been continuous IN
he Nississippi Valley.
O. That in Europe the perennial home OF lang
ague it il in the unienced hills OF the centre OF the
Continent where injection IL constant, while the
oldest mountain ranges Scotch, Scandinavian
,scs,se. ,
T. That In Sonth Africa and Australia. whore the
ierds on the unfcncod ranges live In open air In a
and Of perpetual mIldness aud get under root
ing plague has been more fatal and less controablc
han in any other I,asc the face OF the earth.
These facts explainablc only by oontagon, should
orevcr bury our advocate Of filth causaton under ths
accumulation OF his own rubbish From the same
ources crimnally neglected by Congressmen. they
night have learned
+ That lung ola,ue In the Old World and the New
, Known only as the result OF oontapion-
q That All countries ont III its Urinary habitat and
hat have imported the injection are still clear
4 it.
@ That all fenced countries becoming Injected have
cen able to exterrnnate it whenever suitable meas
res have teen adopted.
a. That all unienced cattle ranges when once in |
pctcd have preserved the injection in spite OF all
nman effort.